Aberdeen’s new Christmas night buses have been a hit with travellers looking for a safe and free way home.
But others have pointed out some problems with the service.
Running for the first time since before the Covid pandemic, the night buses are operating until late each Friday and Saturday night in the lead up to Christmas.
Aberdeen Inspired and Aberdeen City Council have funded the experiment to try and boost city centre footfall.
Its opening weekend was December 2 and 3 and over 200 passengers used the service.
December 16 and 17 will be the final weekend of operation.
The passengers waiting at the bus station shared their experiences of the new service.
‘It saves a fortune on taxis’
Linda Flett works in accounts and usually pays £25 for a taxi back to her home in Portlethen after a night out in Aberdeen.
The 61-year-old said: “We used to use the late buses before lockdown. It was handy because it would mean not paying a fortune for a taxi.
“I don’t mind paying for the bus as long as there are late buses after 11pm.
“I think it would be good for them to continue the project.
“But we need more taxi drivers too. I am already £25 to pay for one, so I don’t think I would be happy for them to increase the fares again.”
Aberdeen’s taxi fleet has been stretched thin over the past few years.
There were 849 in 2020, but due to drivers leaving the profession during the pandemic it has now fallen to 605.
Queues at the weekends now often mean waits of well over an hour and a half.
‘It’s good for safety’
Megan Cantlay is a 26-year-old receptionist who was on a night out with friends Cameron Ewen and Ross Mitchell.
The group was travelling back to Balmedie – which costs around £40 in a taxi.
She said: “The buses are good for safety. It is our first night out in a long time.
“The last bus is usually at 11.30pm, so I think the night buses are a good idea over the Christmas period.
“We only heard about the buses because one of our friends mentioned that they were running tonight.”
‘It needs to be better organised’
But despite waiting at the bus stop for around 20 minutes, the group ended up missing their bus after it pulled into a stance at the other end of the station and left without them noticing.
They think more needs to be done to let people know where to stand.
Mr Mitchell said: “The screens have all been turned off and there was no one telling us which stance to wait at.
“You would think you would have a dedicated night stop to help organise things.”
‘It needs to be better advertised’
Other passengers raised concerns that there were no toilets at the station for people to use, as well as no toilets on the buses.
Sarah Masson is a 46-year-old council worker who used the night bus on both Friday and Saturday night on its opening weekend.
She thinks the service needs to be better advertised.
She said: “When I used it on the first night, it was dead on the bus. There were only three people on the whole bus.
“I thought – what a waste of money. They haven’t advertised it very well but it should be brought back permanently.
“I was out a month ago and was standing in the cold for three hours waiting for a taxi.”
At this stage, it is not clear if Aberdeen Inspired and Aberdeen City Council will continue funding the buses after Christmas.
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